Defeating Algalon: A Preparatory Guide for Herald of the Titans

Introduction

While Herald of the Titans has ranged in difficulty over the years, it is once again a feat of strength that can’t be easily steam rolled by throwing on random pieces of gear. This guide will serve as an introduction to players new to Herald of the Titans as well as assist veteran players by delving into the “nitty gritty” of what makes a 泰坦的使者 run successful. Additionally, resources will be provided to ensure players of all skill levels are successful. As always, if you like the guide, feel free to give the guide five stars.

Getting Started

What Is Herald of the Titans Anyway?

I'm glad you asked! In World of Warcraft, there are what's known as Feats of Strength (also referred to as FoS). Feats of Strength are special achievements that are either no longer obtainable or are much more difficult to complete than regular achievements. Herald of the Titans is a FoS that requires you to level a character to 80 and meet special gearing requirements in order to complete (More on this later in the “Gearing” section). Now, you may ask, "What's the point in doing this?" Not only does Herald of the Titans award a FoS, it also awards title for all of your characters to use. This FoS is perfect for gamers who are achievements junkies, completionists, or enjoy reliving WotLK content with level 80 twinks.

What Class and Spec Should I Play?

Short Answer: Whatever you want.

Long Answer: While some classes are better at 泰坦的使者 than others, play what YOU enjoy. Just because a class is considered "better" doesn't mean you should play it if it doesn't fit your play style. All classes (if geared properly) are viable to play. Additionally, raid compositions (for the most part) can be flexible so don't be afraid to play something that is considered "uncommon" or "unpopular" if it means you'll have fun and put the effort into it. What fun is completing a challenge if you aren't going to enjoy what you're playing?

What’s OP Right Now?

Now we realize some of you might not be sold on the idea of playing whatever you want and doing solid numbers (and that’s ok). If you only want to play something that is considered “OP,” (from our experience) here is what’s “OP” currently:

*Please Note: Tanks will not be listed as their viability is dependent on how well the player gears and how comfortable the player is with tanking.

Preparation

Getting to Level 80

As of Legion Patch 7.3.5, leveling is now more time consuming due to increases in the amount of xp required to level from 1 to 60 (source). Additionally, as of January 22, 2018, players who undergo the Recruit A Friend program have also had xp gains reduced to 50% bonus xp (Was 300%) (source). However, xp potions such as 远古知识药剂 and 敏捷思维药剂 still function as intended (Just make sure you don’t die). If you don’t want to start at level 1 and level all the way to 80, Allied Races start at level 20 and Death Knights start at level 55. However, if you can’t afford or don’t want to farm xp potions, but want to level faster, Monks receive a stackable (The buff can be stacked up to a total duration of 24 hours) one hour 50% xp increase buff at level 20 and every 10 levels after as well as from a quest which can completed once per day at the 昆莱山. Additionally, MOST Allied Races (except Lightforged Draenei) can be monks as well. You can find more information about Allied Races here.

Turning Off XP Gains

One of the most important things you should do upon hitting level 80 is turning off experience gains. Please click the spoiler of your faction directly below for full information on turning off xp gains.

AllianceGo to 暴风城 and enter Stormwind Keep. Once inside the keep, enter the room to the right of the throne room ("right" refers to as you're looking at the throne from the front). Once you're inside the Alliance Battleroom, in the back of the room you will find a stealthed NPC named 贝斯滕. To turn off experience gains, you need to pay 贝斯滕 - . Upon paying, your character will receive a buff called 经验锁定 which will disable experience gains from ALL sources.Behsten

HordeGo to the Hall of the Brave in 奥格瑞玛 and go all the way to the top of the building. Once at the very top of the building, in the back of the room you will find a stealthed NPC named 斯拉兹. To turn off experience gains you need to pay 斯拉兹 - . Upon paying, your character will receive a buff called 经验锁定 which will disable experience gains from ALL sources.Slahtz

*Please Note: You can later choose to enable experience gains again by revisiting your faction NPC and paying another .

Gearing

Once you have disabled experience gains, the next thing you’ll want to do is begin the gearing process. As stated in the achievement text, no one in the raid can wear “… weapons, shields, or off-hand items higher than Item Level 232, or any other pieces of armor higher than Item Level 226.” This does not mean that you can just equip random pieces of gear and kill Algalon. Patch 7.3.5 has nearly doubled Algalon’s previous health values which means players need to take the time to gear, enchant and gem properly, and obtain consumables beneficial to their class and spec. It should also be noted, for every point of ilvl you have over 200 ilvl you will receive a damage, healing, and damage reduction buff depending on your spec. For more information on the scaling formula click spoiler.Players vs Lower Level Creatures, Damage Taken/Dealt AdjustmentsHere are the details about how you'll still be able to solo old raids (without being Mione). This includes pseudo-code, so get your imaginary interpreters ready.

Damage Taken ReductionAll players receive a damage reduction factor when attacked by a creature that is lower level. This applies only to creatures from expansions prior to Mists of Pandaria. All damage taken from qualifying creatures is multiplied by DamageTakenFactor, as determined below:LevelDiff = PlayerLevel - CreatureLevelif (CreatureExpansion < Pandaria) then// 10% DR per level diff, with a floor of 10%DamageTakenFactor = max(1.0 - 0.1 * LevelDiff, 0.1)elseDamageTakenFactor = 1.0end

Alternate Inter-Expansion Damage AdjustmentsWe also want to provide power growth within an expansion, despite the fact that we've flattened the ilvl power curve within each old expansion. This applies only to creatures from expansions prior to Mists of Pandaria. To do that, we calculate an alternate set of damage dealt/taken factors, and use either these ones, or the normal ones, whichever is most beneficial to the player.MaxPlayerLevelsByExpansion = {69, 79, 84, 89, 0, 0}IntendedItemLevelByExpansion = {65, 115, 200, 346, 0, 0}MaxPlayerLevel = MaxPlayerLevelsByExpansionIntendedItemLevel = IntendedItemLevelByExpansion

EDIT: Added note to the last section that it only applies to expansions prior to MoP. Revised the code to make that more clear.

If you need assistance with the gearing process, you can view Our Gearing Guide. On the guide there will be a FAQ as well as information relevant to your class and spec including gear, talents, gems, consumables, and gear alternatives. We make sure the guide is updated on a frequent basis to ensure all information is as accurate and up-to-date as possible.

Finding A Group

You’ve finished gearing, you’re fully gemmed and enchanted, and you’re finally ready to defeat Algalon, but you don’t have a group. There are a couple ways you can create and find groups for Herald. The first way is to become involved in a community that does achievements or legacy content on a regular basis. Discord communities such as the Achievements Discord (NA and EU) and The G(aming) Spot (NA/18+ ONLY) are perfect places for finding groups for 泰坦的使者 and have regularly scheduled runs for both factions.

If you don’t use Discord, DON'T WORRY. There are still other ways to join and set up events. One such alternative is using a website called Openraid. Openraid allows users to sign up for and create their own events.

*Please Note: Currently, Openraid does not have integration for Allied Races so signing up may be difficult for players who attempt to add an Allied Race character to their Openraid account. The site admins are aware of the issue and suggest opening a support ticket on the website with a link to your character's armory so your character can be manually added to your Openraid account.

The last (and least ideal) alternative is to use the in-game Group Finder. Making a group for 泰坦的使者 can take anywhere from two weeks to a month which is why the Group Finder is often less than ideal.

Defeating Algalon

Pre-Clearing(Group Leaders Only)

If you are making a group for 泰坦的使者, you must first establish a lockout to 观察者奥尔加隆 so you don’t have to do all the previous bosses on level 80 characters. To do this, you need to AT MINIMUM kill 烈焰巨兽 and XT-002拆解者.

If you want to deal with less trash on the way to 观察者奥尔加隆 you can also kill 科隆加恩 that way you only have to kill the 大厅监督者 in the hallway leading to Algalon.

Once you have finished pre-clearing, you need to exit the raid and reset the instance to ensure there are no problems with other players zoning when you start your run.

*Please Note: If you are pre-clearing by yourself, make sure that you have at least one person zone in to the instance before logging over to your level 80 character so that players are using your lockout.

*Please Also Note: If a different player has killed other bosses prior to your run, DO NOT panic. Lockouts in 奥杜尔 now function the same way as modern raids. What this means is players can kill bosses in a different group and then come back and do bosses they’ve already killed (They just won’t be eligible to receive loot for a boss they’ve already killed).

Mechanics

Abilities

升天 - Algalon's enrage mechanic. He will cast this ability 6 minutes into the encounter or if AT LEAST one player does not soak 大爆炸.

大爆炸 - Deals massive physical damage to anyone not phased by a 黑洞 and will remove players from the black hole phase. When this ability begins to be cast, all players (minus the tank currently tanking Algalon) should enter a 黑洞 to avoid taking damage. The tank that stays out must use a large cool-down such as 盾墙 to avoid dying. If the tank dies from 大爆炸 and no one else is unphased to deal with this mechanic, Algalon will cast 升天 and wipe the raid.

宇宙重击 - One of the most common abilities that kills players learning the fight, 宇宙重击 spawns a red, smokey/cylindrical object on the ground which detonates after a few seconds. Players who fail to move away from this ability will take a large amount of fire damage and also be knocked into the air causing them take significant fall damage upon landing. If a player gets knocked into the air, this ability can be countered with an immunity such as 圣盾术, 缓落术, or a teleport such as 魂体双分：转移. This ability will also deal fire damage to the entire raid. *Please note: The damage a player receives from this ability is reduced based on the player's distance from the impact point. The further away a player is from the impact point, the less damage the player will take. Additionally, make sure you have Projected Textures enabled in your in-game settings to ensure you see this mechanic. You can enable projected textures by going to Settings -> Graphics -> Projected Textures.

相位冲压 - Periodically Algalon will place this debuff on the tanks. If a tank reaches five stacks of 相位冲压 they will become phased from the rest of raid for 10 seconds. Tanks should taunt at 4 stacks of this debuff.

相位冲压 - When a player (most likely the tank) reaches 5 stacks of 相位冲压 they will become phased for 10 seconds. The best way to prevent this debuff is for the tanks to swap at 4 stacks of 相位冲压.

黑洞 - These are created when a 坍缩之星 dies and explodes. Players that enter a Black Hole become phased and must deal with 暗物质 while inside. Black Holes can be removed by kiting a 有生命的星座 through it.

坍缩之星 - These adds ONLY spawn during Phase 1, lose 1% of their maximum health every second, and cast 黑洞爆炸 when they die, which inflicts massive shadow damage to the entire raid. When a 坍缩之星 dies, it spawns a 黑洞.

暗物质 - Exists in the phase from entering a 黑洞 and also periodically spawn from 黑洞 in Phase 2 of the encounter.

有生命的星座 - These adds ONLY spawn during Phase 1, spawn in groups of 3, and attack players with 奥术弹幕 which deals light arcane damage. These adds can either be ignored, passively cleaved down, or they can be kited through 黑洞 which will remove both the constellation and the Black Hole. *Please note: If you choose to close Black Holes, make sure you don't accidentally run into a Black Hole yourself or you will be phased inside the Black Hole which puts you at risk of dying to 暗物质 if you have no way to self-sustain.

Strat 1: The Old-Fashioned Way

Suggested Compositions

10 Player: 2 Tanks, 3 Healers, and 5 DPS

15 Player: 2 Tanks, 4 Healers, and 9 DPS

25+ Player: 2 Tanks, 5-6 Healers, 17-22 DPS

Phase 1

After the RP ends, immediately cast 时间扭曲 and begin nuking the boss. Tanks will tank Algalon where he stands and swap on 4 stacks of 相位冲压 for the entire fight.

When the 坍缩之星 come out, a player (2-3 players in comps larger than 18 players) need to begin killing one star at a time around Algalon. When the stars die, they will deal massive AoE damage to the entire raid. While the first two explosions aren’t particularly lethal (because everyone will most likely be topped and there’s not much else going on), every explosion after should have a healer cool-down or players popping personal cool-downs (寒冰屏障, 灵龟守护, 生存本能, etc.) to compensate for damage *Please note: It is very important that no one except for the player(s) assigned to kills stars damages the stars as any AoE can cause stars to die early and cause multiple stars to explode at once, potentially wiping the raid.

Avoid being knocked into the air by 宇宙重击 and reduce damage taken by moving away (The raid leader should make regular callouts to help players avoid this mechanic).

*OPTIONAL* Kite 有生命的星座 through 黑洞 to close them. *Please note: If players are uncomfortable with this mechanic, the constellations can be ignored or cleaved down.

When Algalon begins channeling 大爆炸, all players except for the tank that is currently tanking Algalon needs to run into a 黑洞 to avoid being one shot. The tank staying out needs to pop a big cool-down to stay alive. The tank that goes in with the rest of the group needs to pick up the 暗物质 so that they don’t kill the dps and healers. Once Algalon finishes casting 大爆炸, players will then be ported out back into the room *Please note: Algalon will also cast this ability in Phase 2 as well. Most groups typically deal with 1-2 大爆炸 depending on DPS.

Phase 1 TL;DR

Tanks: Swap on 4 stacks of 相位冲压 and tank the boss where he stands. Close 黑洞 with 有生命的星座 if necessary.

Healers: Don’t get hit by 宇宙重击. Coordinate cool downs for 坍缩之星 explosions. Run into a 黑洞 before Algalon Finishes casting 大爆炸 so you don’t get one shot.

Star Killer (Ranged DPS): One to 3 ranged will be assigned to kill the 坍缩之星 (depending on group size). Kill stars one at a time and let healers top everyone before killing additional stars.

DPS: Don’t get hit by 宇宙重击, nuke the boss, go into a 黑洞 for 大爆炸 to avoid being one shot.

Phase 2

Upon reaching 20% health, Algalon will despawn every 黑洞 on the floor, and place 4 new Black Holes on the floor in a square around him. 坍缩之星 and 有生命的星座 will no longer spawn, but players will still have to deal with 大爆炸 and 宇宙重击. Additionally, 暗物质 will also spawn from 黑洞 which tanks must pick up. Tanks will continue swapping on 4 stacks until the fight ends. Upon reaching 2%-5% health, the fight will end and a few seconds later players will be awarded the FoS if all players in the group met the level and item level requirements.

If you would like to see how the entire strategy looks visually, you can watch our video directly below:

Strat 2: The Cheese Method(Not Recommended for Beginners and Pugs)

Suggested Composition

1 Tank, 1 Healer, and 8 DPS

Strategy

The tank will tank the boss in the middle of the room and a player will use 嗜血/英勇 as soon as the boss becomes attackable and the rp ends.

All dps will nuke the boss and ignore the 坍缩之星 and 有生命的星座 that spawn. *Please note: Players will still need to avoid 宇宙重击 to prevent unnecessary deaths since DPS is vital for this strat to work.

The goal of this strategy is to kill Algalon before your tank reaches 5 stacks of 相位冲压. You can have your tank die at 4 stacks and get immediately resurrected via a combat resurrection spell such as 复生 to prevent your tank from becoming phased, but it is extremely risky. Additionally, the majority of your dps needs to do at least 10k dps or higher or you will wipe. To see a video of how this strategy works, you can watch our video directly below:

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, thank you to my partner in crime, Kitty, for supporting me, being the best friend a bear could ask for, and being my event co-host/co-server owner! Next, a big thank you to Nightswifty for guiding and encouraging me. Thank you for believing in me and pushing me to create my best work possible. Additionally, thank you Bowbee for putting the group together for our Algalon cheese strat video. Last but not least, thank you to the members of the Achievements Discord and Gaming Spot Discord for supporting Kitty and I. We would not be where we are today without you! Thank you all so much for reading our guide and we hope you enjoy this guide as much as we enjoyed making it!